Latest news with #No.53
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Oilers make changes for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. — Two consecutive losses to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final prompted the Edmonton Oilers to make a series of changes for Game 4 on Thursday night. In at forward is Jeff Skinner, replacing Viktor Arvidsson, and on defense Troy Stecher took John Klingberg's place after some rough performances so far in the series. 'Felt that we could use the change, have those guys come in, give us a boost,' coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team's morning skate. 'We've seen it throughout the playoffs where we've made alterations to our lineup and it's benefited us.' Skinner is playing just his third playoff game after playing an NHL-record 1,078 in the regular season before getting into the postseason. Fittingly, it came with Taylor Swift in attendance many years after Skinner memorably gave her a No. 53 Carolina Hurricanes jersey with his name on it. Stecher, paired with Darnell Nurse, is also making his debut in the final after playing a handful of games earlier on this run when Mattias Ekholm was out injured. 'I play a simple and steady game," Stecher said. 'I don't do anything great, I don't make a lot of mistakes, and I feel like they know what to expect out of me every night.' Knoblauch also moved Connor Brown to Edmonton's top line on the right side of center Connor McDavid and left wing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with veteran Corey Perry getting bumped down to the fourth line. 'A guy that's playing really well, skates well, good with the puck, confident guy that can play up and down your lineup," McDavid said. "Looking forward to it." Stuart Skinner remains the Oilers' starting goaltender after getting pulled from their Game 3 loss. Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots but did not think he would lose the net to journeyman backup Calvin Pickard. 'I don't really see too much reason to panic quite, quite yet,' Skinner said. 'It's a good opportunity for me to come back. Obviously we lost two in a row, and I'm good in these situations. I know how to bounce back.' Nugent-Hopkins skated Thursday morning after not practicing earlier in the week because of an undisclosed injury. He said he was feeling good. Florida is 5 of 17 on the power play, and it's not just the first unit coming through. The second power play with forwards Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Nate Schmidt running the point has been producing. During this playoff run, that group has scored four times in just over 10 minutes of ice time. 'We're building a lot of chemistry playing together,' Verhaeghe said. 'We have so many great players on the unit. Both units have been pretty good. I mean, we just want to move the puck right and get pucks to the net.' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling turns 29 on Thursday. The smooth-skating Swede has quietly been one of the team's best players during these three consecutive trips to the final. 'Unbelievable player: He's so fit, so strong, and he can skate like the wind and has such a good stick,' Verhaeghe said. 'I wouldn't want to play against him. He's so good defensively and closes his gap so quick that he doesn't allow you to have any space out there. You get the puck, your head is up, and he's on you. He's so elite at that. So good for our team.' NHL playoffs: /hub/stanley-cup and /hub/nhl
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Female NASCAR driver reveals 'disturbing' death threats and sexual harassment after part in horror crash
A female NASCAR driver has revealed that she's been threatened and harassed online following a crash in North Carolina over the weekend. Katherine Legge was driving the No. 53 car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series - the feeder series to the top-flight NASCAR Cup Series - during a race at Rockingham Speedway. The British driver appeared to come out of a corner slower than expected and was bumped from behind by the No. 18 car of William Sawalich. Legge, who has started four times in the Indianapolis 500, also made some contact with the front right quarter panel of the No. 33 machine driven by Kasey Kahne. After this crash, Legge revealed on her Throttle Therapy podcast that she's been receiving multiple harassing messages - including death threats - in the wake of the incident. While she hasn't seen the comments, she says they have been relayed to her. 'I keep coming to you all with this drama that I hate. It hasn't been that way in the past, so this is a new phenomenon for me,' she started. Trouble for Katherine Legge! Kasey Kahne also involved! — Rubbin is Racing (@rubbinisracing) April 19, 2025 'Being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible sense of pride. It comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment. 'The hate mail, the death threats and the inappropriate sexual comments that I have received on just disturbing. They're unacceptable.' She continued: 'Let me be very clear: I am here to race. I'm here to compete. I won't tolerate any of these threats to my safety, or to my dignity, whether that's on track or off of that. 'Racing is a passionate sport, and I understand fans have strong opinions. I love that and I respect that about our sport. Constructive criticism is part of the game, and I'm always open to listening and improving. I will always take accountability for the mistakes that I make. 'However, what I think people need to understand is that there's a line between feedback and personal attacks, and it's really disappointing to see how often that line gets crossed.' Describing the incident with Sawalich, Legge said, 'I stayed on my line and kept doing my speed.' She added, 'He charged into the corner a bit too hard, which is the speed difference that you see, and he lifted up a lane into me.' Legge has raced in the Cup Series this season, making her debut at Phoenix last month. She's competed in two previous Xfinity Series seasons. The Rockingham start was her first Xfinity race since July 2023.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Hate mail, death threats, inappropriate sexual comments': Katherine Legge discusses her NASCAR experience
Four-time Indianapolis 500 starter Katherine Legge is finding acceptance more difficult in NASCAR. She was wrecked by William Sawalich in last weekend's Xfinity race in Rockingham, North Carolina, leaving her in 36th place with 50 laps completed. Advertisement The 44-year-old received a lot of vitriol online, prompting her to respond on this week's "Throttle Therapy" podcast. "I keep coming to you all with this drama that I hate. It hasn't been that way in the past, so this is a new phenomenon for me," she started. "Being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible sense of pride. It comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment. The hate mail, the death threats and the inappropriate sexual comments that I have received on just disturbing. They're unacceptable." Legge discussed driving the No. 53 car for Joey Gase Motorsports for the first time. Advertisement As for the contact with Sawalich: "I stayed on my line and kept doing my speed. ... He charged into the corner a bit too hard, which is the speed difference that you see, and he lifted up a lane into me." Katherine Legge NASCAR Cup experience Legge made her Cup debut last month in Phoenix, finishing 30th after starting 37th. Her 2025 schedule includes a mix of Cup and Xfinity races, a dozen total. She considered an Indy 500 ride this season, but a deal didn't materialize. "Let me be very clear: I am here to race. I'm here to compete. I won't tolerate any of these threats to my safety, or to my dignity, whether that's on track or off of that. Advertisement "Racing is a passionate sport, and I understand fans have strong opinions. I love that and I respect that about our sport. Constructive criticism is part of the game, and I'm always open to listening and improving. I will always take accountability for the mistakes that I make. "However, what I think people need to understand is that there's a line between feedback and personal attacks, and it's really disappointing to see how often that line gets crossed." Legge said she hasn't looked at fans' comments online, but they have been relayed to her. Katherine Legge Indy 500 experience Legge finished 29th in 2024, 33rd in '23, 26th in '13 and 22nd in '12. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Katherine Legge on hate mail, death threats, sexual comments from NASCAR fans
Gulf Today
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
NASCAR's Katherine Legge receives death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham
NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving "hate mail' and "death threats' from auto racing fans after she was involved in a crash that collected veteran driver Kasey Kahne during the Xfinity Series race last weekend at Rockingham. Legge, who has started four Indy 500s but is a relative novice in stock cars, added during Tuesday's episode of her "Throttle Therapy' podcast that "the inappropriate social media comments I've received aren't just disturbing, they are unacceptable.' "Let me be very clear,' the British driver said, "I'm here to race and I'm here to compete, and I won't tolerate any of these threats to my safety or to my dignity, whether that's on track or off of it.' Legge became the first woman in seven years to start a Cup Series race earlier this year at Phoenix. But her debut in NASCAR's top series ended when Legge, who had already spun once, was involved in another spin and collected Daniel Suarez. Her next start was the lower-level Xfinity race in Rockingham, North Carolina, last Saturday. Legge was good enough to make the field on speed but was bumped off the starting grid because of ownership points. Ultimately, she was able to take J.J. Yeley's seat in the No. 53 car for Joey Gase Motorsports, which had to scramble at the last minute to prepare the car for her. Legge was well off the pace as the leaders were lapping her, and when she entered Turn 1, William Sawalich got into the back of her car. That sent Legge spinning, and Kahne had nowhere to go, running into her along the bottom of the track. "I gave (Sawalich) a lane and the reason the closing pace looks so high isn't because I braked mid-corner. I didn't. I stayed on my line, stayed doing my speed, which obviously isn't the speed of the leaders because they're passing me,' Legge said. "He charged in a bit too hard, which is the speed difference you see. He understeered up a lane and into me, which spun me around.' The 44-year-old Legge has experience in a variety of cars across numerous series. She made seven IndyCar starts for Dale Coyne Racing last year, and she has raced for several teams over more than a decade in the IMSA SportsCar series. She has dabbled in NASCAR in the past, too, starting four Xfinity races during the 2018 season and another two years ago. "I have earned my seat on that race track," Legge said. "I've worked just as hard as any of the other drivers out there, and I've been racing professionally for the last 20 years. I'm 100 percent sure that the ... the teams that employed me - without me bringing any sponsorship money for the majority of those 20 years - did not do so as a DEI hire, or a gimmick, or anything else. It's because I can drive a race car.' Legge believes the vitriol she has received on social media is indicative of a larger issue with women in motorsports. "Luckily,' she said, "I have been in tougher battles than you guys in the comment sections.' Legge has received plenty of support from those in the racing community. IndyCar driver Marco Andretti clapped back at one critic on social media who called Legge "unproven' in response to a post about her history at the Indy 500. "It's wild to me how many grown men talk badly about badass girls like this,' Andretti wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Does it make them feel more manly from the couch or something?' Associated Press
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Marco Andretti Calls Out Katherine Legge Haters
Katherine Legge has had a controversial start to her NASCAR career. In her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season, she was involved in a crash with Daniel Suarez, sparking a conversation about whether she deserved a spot on the track. Advertisement Last weekend, the British racing driver raced in the Xfinity Series' return to Rockingham Speedway. Yet again, she caused controversy, failing to qualify for the race due to a lack of owners points. While she ended up securing a ride with another team thanks to her partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics, many, including Jamie McMurray called her out for 'buying her way in.' Katherine Legge during practice at Phoenix A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Despite the online chatter, the 45-year-old driver had a chance to prove herself on track at Rockingham. However, she was involved in an accident that started when William Sawalich drove into the rear of her lapped No. 53 car, which got sideways and slid down the track directly into the path of Kasey Kahne before ricocheting off the HMS car and slamming nose-first into the outside wall. Many fans were upset with the incident, especially because it hurt Kahne's chances to run up front for the rest of the race. However, one race car driver has a message for the Katherine Legge haters. Advertisement Marco Andretti, who has competed with Legge for years in IndyCar, came to the accomplished open-wheel racer's defense. After an X user called Legge 'unproven,' NASCAR driver Ryan Vargas pushed back and reminded the critics that she is the fastest female qualifier in Indy 500 history. Andretti saw the tweet and added his own thoughts, writing, "It's wild to me how many grown men talk badly about bad [expletive] girls like this. Does it make them feel more manly from the couch or something?" Legge will return to the Xfinity Series this weekend at Talladega, hoping to shut down the keyboard warriors once and for all. Advertisement Related: Katherine Legge Returning for Multiple Cup and Xfinity Races This Season Related: Katherine Legge Upsets Fans After Accident Spoils Kasey Kahne's Return
